Muses Men Strong Men Into Fools
by Verbophobic
Summary: Torn/OcPoor woman the size of a dwarf.If only she didn't morph.But now she's a muse.And the man she finds has a short fuse.She only wants to keep her tail.So he mustn't fail.To help her he has to keep his cool.If only she didn't make him look like a fool. INDEFINANT HIATUS
1. Stormy Nights

**Ok this is a Jak and Daxter story featuring Torn/Oc. I would like to Credit LoorTheDarkElf because it was her story (Title Sammich? It's a Torn/Oc as well) that gave me the idea and inspiration to make this. Also i'd like to give credit for the whole Muse/human thing to PipTheKitten (DA). They're both cool people so you should check out their stuff. Also Loor has a Jak/Oc story (Vacation or War) that is epic. It's descriptive but not to the point of boredom; adventurous though there is down time for the character that is still fun; and is over all fun to read. And just talk to Alex (PipTheKitten) She's quite cool. Um well that's all for now I guess. Enjoy and comment please. **

Chapter One: Stormy Nights.

Torn signed yet another report about Metal Head sightings and set it off to the side for a scout to check out. The next paper was a request that Torn found stupid and useless therefore he denied it and set it in a pile for filing. His day kept going on like this; Signing papers while rejecting few others and sending even less up to higher ups or people with more qualification on the subject. And he didn't stop for his luch break so by the time he did stop his hand was hurting and it was several hours over time too. Over time that he wouldn't be getting paid for so Torn clocked out and left everything sitting on his desk.

As soon as he exited the building a large _Boom_ exploded in the air. Torn looked around for the source of the sound. A single drop of water landed on his exposed arm, He was wearing a dark gray tank top. His eyes looked at the drop then to the sky. Yellow flashed and light up the sky and a moment later there was another boom. Another drop fell from the foreboding sky and with it thousands more broke free from the prison of dark clouds. Moments passed and Torn was soaked to the bone. But still he walked at a calm pace. Not Like he hadn't been planning on getting in the shower when he got home anyway.

It was a long walk because, as stupid as it sounded, he stayed at the underground base still. There was too much there for him to give up. He was afraid that if he got an actual apartment; Well he wasn't really sure what he was afraid of but he didn't like it. And these thoughts that he concentrated on made him miss the turn he needed to take several streets back. And in Haven City _'several streets'_ could range from thirty feet to five hundred feet. And with Torn's luck now-a-days it was closer to the five hundred foot mark.

After a bit of deliberation he turned down a side street and started to make his way to the ex HQ through side streets. A few turns here and there he was nearly back to his home. But laughter made him change course for a moment. He found several teenage boys laughing and throwing something brown around. Most likely a bag filled with rocks. Clearing his throat Torn caught the attention of all of the boys playing catch. One boy caught the bag, for that is indeed what the sack was.. "KG!" The boy used the shorted term for the Krimson Guard and then another boy ran. A third shouted for the rest of the group to do the same. "Run!" Torn made a move to follow but the first boy chucked the bag at Torn to stall him and ran after his friends.

Even though Torn had looked like he was going to follow he had no intentions of doing such. He had only wanted to scare the boys off, and quite likely home. Now that they were gone he too would head home. The sack he would throw out and never again have to think about this. But Torn couldn't help it and he shifted the bag around until it was in his left hand and he was able to find the, tied shut, opening. With skilled fingers, using his right hand, he was able to work the tight knot free. The bag collapsed open and laying in a small ball in his hand was an animal.

The animal was definitely alive for Torn felt it tense and he saw it try to become an even smaller ball than it already was. From what he could tell it was Ottsel like. A Muse most likely. The Muse was orange in color, a darker more brilliant shade than Daxter, And the tip of it's ears were black along with the tip of it's tail that was held tightly to itself with a paw. Torn lifted the muse with his right hand and dropped the bag from his left before setting the animal once again in his left hand and holding it close to his chest. From a pocket he removed a length of red cloth. It was from when he was still part of the rebellion. Normally it would be tied onto bicep, but for some reason today he had kept it in his pocket. And now he used it to protect the wet Muse and protect it from the harsh rain.

Torn made it back to his home in minutes and the first thing he did, after setting the muse on the bottom one of the few remaining sets of bunk beds, was remove his soaked shirt and pants. He left his plain black boxers on, thought they were damp he had always felt weird if he walked around in the nude. And now that there was an animal watching him, the Muse had moved enough that he could see it's sapphire right eyes following his every move, it made him even uncomfortable to be only in his boxers. Torn went into the room in the back, what used to be the meeting room between him and the Shadow so they could talk without eavesdroppers, and went into the closet at the back of the room. He took out a pair of black slacks and pulled them on.

Squatting down he waited a few seconds before slowly turning around. The Muse had entered the room and he didn't want to startle it. The sad thing was this was where the use of all that KG training was going now-a-days with him not being aloud out on patrol. Stoney faced, he reached a hand out to it. At first it just stared at his face. It looked at his hand next. Then, with much hesitation, it started to sniff. The muse was still two feet away when it looked into Torn's eyes, Torn could now see that the Muse had two different eye colors and the second color was a jade like green; and it mewed softly, and moved it's head like it wanted to be pet. Torn started to pull his hand back when again the Muse made a sound. He lifted his hand once more. What he thought odd was that the Muse had it's right paw lifted this entire time. "It's alright, I won't hurt you." Torn said then slightly winced at his own rough voice.

But it didn't affect the Muse, if anything it seemed to sooth the partially scared animal. The animal moved forward and Torn realized why it had it's paw lifted up like it did. As it limped towards him he guessed that it either had a sprain or break. Nothing a little green eco couldn't fix. Once it made it to Torn he softly scratched behind it's ears a moment then picked it up and was about to set it on the bed. A thought occurred to him and he held it around the abdomen. With a quick movement the muse was in front of his face, held with his right hand, and he used his other hand to move it's back legs.

Immediately _she_ started to chitter at him. But Torn ignored the noise, set her down, and headed to the bathroom where he retrieved his med kit. He had some green eco saved in case of injury. Upon returning to his room he found the muse curled up on his pillow. Hesitation was not something Torn was used to, but right now it was dictating his every move. The Muse, for Torn refused to name the animal- naming would only get him attached to the animal that was going to be released once it was healed, it looked at Torn through it's green eye. And now that Torn was sure that she wasn't resting he no longer hesitated.

Green eco, used for multiple purposes. Though it was used for healing more than not. A slimy green salve that has a sweet tangy odor, Torn gently rubbed it onto her hurt paw then moved to grab gauze to put on it. Before he could stop her she licked at the eco. The result was immediate. Her face contorted in disgust and with her good paw she tried to wipe it off. Torn couldn't help but chuckle. She looked at him and moved when he went to put the gauze on her. Obviously she didn't trust the gauze, tanks to licking the eco, so again she curled up on his pillow.

All of the medical stuff was set on a bedside table. Then Torn picked the muse up off of his pillow and set her on the one next to it. After a moment of thought Torn removed his pants and blew the light out. Not a second after he put his head on the pillow the muse moved to the same pillow as him and curled up. "Why?" Though he didn't mean to, he said that out loud. The only reply he got from her was a loud purr that got softer as they both fell asleep.


	2. Friends Close, Enemy Closer

**Ok so don't forget to check out PipTheKitten and LoorTheDarkElf. So I decided that I'll try to post every week. Like once a week and not daily or several times a day. And I think that I'll post on Wednesdays. **

Chapter Two: Keeps Your Friends Close, And Your Enemy's Closer.

"What do you mean _'there was an accident'_, Cedric? Or sister is missing and the first thing you say is that you messed up in your lab." The man who growled this was tall and well built. Combine that with his angry tone and he became more terrifying than nice looking. Unlike half of Haven City';s residents his hair was a single one tone color and it was a neon bright or pitch dark color. Platinum blond like his wasn't seen much and with his pale complexion he didn't look just plain angry, he looked like a vengeful spirit in black clothes.

Cedric, though only one year older at eighteen, was scared of the other man. His own brother. When it comes to their sister sure all of them were protective of her, but the boy in front of him was more so. He figured that it had to do with being her twin in a way. "A-actually, David, Avery did." Now Cedric wasn't a small man, but with the way David was looking at him he felt smaller than their missing four feet eleven inch sister. The ironic this is that all the men in this family are at least five six and she didn't even reach five feet. Hell her maternal twin was six feet four inches. The youngest brother of this family, age fifteen, stood at five feet six inches. And Cedric himself stood at Five feet Eleven inches.

David looked Cedric over with his icy blue eyes. The slightly shorter man looked nothing like himself. Cedric's hair stood naturally spiked and at the roots they were black and faded to light brown by the time they reached the tips. Even his dark green eyes and lanky build differed. "What happened?" He asked. After Cedric explained everything including the simple lock Avery had picked to get into the lab, David regretted more than ever teaching that to her, to how the machine Cedric was working on shorted out because of a cup that was set on it then knocked down. "What was the machine _supposed_ to do?" David asked tentatively.

"You know about Jak's friend, Daxter? Well he asked me if there was any way I could possibly make something that might turn himself and his wife Tess back. But the thing is, this machine requires someone to work it the entire time. So even if it had shorted out someone had to be back here." Cedric pointed to where he was standing.

"Foul play?" David suggested, and to his chagrin, Cedric nodded. "Don't tell anyone about this. Got it?" And David was glad to see Cedric nod. "We have to find her before anyone else does. Then we will go after the person who did this. I will not let him getaway with this." Again Cedric nodded. Once that was said David left. Almost instantly Cedric started to become twitchy and paranoid. He thought felt eyes watching, following, him. Wanting out of there he quickly finished his business. He reached into a part of the machine and removed several, important looking, objects and ran from the building. After locking the door of course. In his rush he failed to hear the chuckle that sounded purely evil.

He caught up to David and said he was heading home to put the objects into a safe place. David didn't question his brother but told him that once that was finished to help him look. So Cedric raced towards their large home. It wasn't long before Cedric saw the four story building come into view. The loft and Basement weren't included. The loft belonged to their sister Avery, currently it was a complete mess because she and one of their brothers, Raven, got into a huge fight about something Cedric couldn't remember. But he did remember that they threw stuff back and forth, breaking many things. Then Avery had stormed off and that was the last any of them had seen of her. AT that time Cedric was in the basement, his own space, working on a model of his molecular displacement system- the machine's model. In theory even if Avery had managed to get into the machine and get it turned on she would have stayed human. The MDS was programed a single way- to make an animal, specifically and Ottsel, into a human. So he couldn't figure out how she got turned into an animal.

Unless, as David had suggested, foul play had happened. But he had the interior under tight security measures. Again that begs the question how did the sensors not trip when Avery entered. Everything seemed to be pointing to fouls play early in the building of the machine. Only Casey had been with him though, he was their youngest brother. And Casey loved Avery. So it couldn't have been him. Cedric realized he had stopped moving and quickly entered the house. And coincidentally he ran into Casey. "What's the rush Ced?" Casey, the fifteen year old, said with slight laughter. Cedric rarely moved fast unless he was getting close to finishing an 'invention'.

"Me and David are going to look for Avery." Oops. Hadn't David told him specifically _not_ to tell anyone about that? Casey suddenly became serious. His light green eyes narrowed and his entire demeanor shirted into a wary one. "She's been gone all night and David is freaking out. I think she's just fine but you know David." Cedric tried to cover for himself and for a bit he thought that Casey was going to fall for the lie. But then the younger boy turned and headed towards the door. "Don't tell David I told you. Please." Cedric didn't get a reply but he could have sworn that Casey gave a slight nod.

Once outside Casey took off running. This wasn't good, not at all. If the boss found out that Avery wasn't dead then it would be his ass that got to be the next test subject. If Boost hadn't fucked up the other night then Avery would be gone. Casey's long purple hair flew behind him, occasionally whipping him in the face. It should have been so simple. Get Avery and one of their brothers, just not David, into a fight so that when it escalated too much she would leave. Then make sure that she was at Cedric's lab where all he had to do was hit a few things and boom it should have no effect on Avery and the machine would be operational for the boss. Suddenly Casey's feet just stopped moving and he stumbled. How had he not noticed the cup? It wasn't supposed to be there. And because of it Avery got changed into that- that _thing_. Then the boss said it was too risky to keep her alive now that it malfunctioned. Casey knew that he couldn't get rid of his sister so he caught the confused looking animal and passed her off to Boost.

"That _idiot_." Casey growled. Not only had boost failed to do as told, but he gave her to a KG. A fucking KG, for Christ's sake how stupid could someone be? They could be charged for animal abuse, and many other things that the Boss had them do. Casey again began to run. He would have to get rid of Avery himself if he got the chance. The boss would forgive him then and he wouldn't be harmed himself. And the boss would leave the rest of his family alone. Then Casey spotted Boost. "Boost!" He hollered and the boy stopped. "We have to fine the Muse." When Boot made no move to go search or reply Casey grabbed him by the shirt collar and lifted him several inches off the ground. "If you don't find it then I'll hand you ass over to the boss personally." Boost gulped and nodded. Casey dropped him and watched as he took off. The boss really was a scary person.

Casey then began to walk around the Bazaar District. He bumped into a man by accident. "Sorry man." He said without looking and just continued on. The man watched Casey for a moment then continued on his way. His green eyes moved from the purple haired boy to the cage he held. It was covered with a tan blanket and he knew that inside was an immensely angry Muse, her hisses and growls were proof of that. The man, Torn, sighed heavily. Had had woken up this morning to find her running around his hose, as he called the ex HQ. She was using all four of her paws so he figured that she was fine and well enough to get turned into the vet. And after he washed her, it was amusing to watched the wet Muse try and get away from him and the sink until she bit him. Subconsciously he flexed his thumb on the hand not holding the cage. She had a good set of jaws and teeth on her. But After her semi-bath he had made breakfast for himself and realized he didn't have food for her. As he was going through the fridge to find something she might like there had been a crash and he turned to see her holding the sausage with her front paws and teeth while kicking out with her legs.

Looking up Ton realized he was outside of the Vet's. He entered and walked up to the desk. A woman sat behind it and when she saw him she tried to sensually blink at him with a sexual smile. He knew this woman. Her name was Page and no matter how many times he turned her down she still tried. "Is the vet in?" Torn said in his gruff voice. Page nearly swooned. Still she managed to nod. Without waiting for her to recover he headed back and saw Galek, the male vet. "I found this muse the other day and it was hurt. I put green eco on the wound and it seemed to have healed." Torn informed the vet.

Galek didn't say anything. Instead he just checked the muse out. "Good specimen, strong and fast." He was stretching out her limbs and Torn winced at the sounds she made. It was like she felt that she was being tortured. "Vocals seem to be good so the lungs have no virus." He continued to check her out and say off hand comments about her health and little things. When he finished and finally released her she raced to Torn and up his shoulder hissing at the vet. "All we need to do is give her several shots and she's good to go home with you Torn. No worries. For a KG officer this is all free."

"Actually." Torn said roughly so as to get the vet's attention before he left. "I'm not keeping her." The vet looked shocked. Almost as if he felt personally betrayed by Torn. "My building doesn't allow pets." He lied but it seemed that the vet didn't buy it. It didn't matter to Torn though, he didn't want the rat so he wasn't going to keep her. The muse rubbed her head against his cheek and he leaned away from her with a slight blush. "Here." He said and removed her from his shoulder. Just as he was about to drop her into the vet's awaiting hands he hesitated. She was looking up at him with large, scared, eyes. Torn did like the animal and for a moment he considered keeping her. Then reality kicked in. He wasn't the type of guy to keep animals. So he dropped her into the vets hand and turned. He was almost at the door when the Muse gave a soft and uncertain mew.

Torn didn't look back.

When Torn was all the way out of the building he made the decision to go back and get the Muse. Somehow she had stolen his heart. It couldn't have been her licking the eco or her biting him as he tried to clean her. It couldn't have been her attacking the sausage either. Could it have been when she curled up against his head the night before? It didn't matter. He was going to go back in there and demand the Muse back. "Hey there Torny buddy ol pal." An amazingly annoying voice said right in his ear. "Whatcha doing at the vets? You ain't one for animals. So what's going on?"

"Leave me alone Daxter." Torn growled. There was no way he was going to go back in and get the Muse. Daxter would harass him for an eternity if he was caught caring for someone other than himself. In a split second decision he decided to go back tomorrow. Besides, by then all of her shots and vaccines would be finished. So torn turned and started to walk away from the vets. A kid that looked vaguely familiar passed him. The kid knew Torn as a KG, a higher up at that, but he didn't know more than that.

He could see something orange on his shoulder and he was sure that this was the Muse from the other night, the one that Casey was so desperate to get his hands on. He himself, Boost that is, didn't know why he Casey and the Boss wanted the animal so badly. But he did know that people that went against orders from the Boss of ones that Casey relays, well those people seemed to disappear. So he made to grab the animal. But he was caught. The KG caught Boosts hand before it even got close to the animal. Then the animal spoke. The _animal_ spoke. No Muse he knew could do that. And it sounded male. "What's the matter pal? This is my tail, leave it alone." Boost mumbled and apology and he ran off not wanting to get caught for anything else.

Casey stopped him at the next corner. "What happened? Why didn't you get her?"

"It wasn't her. I- I think it might have been an and... Ottsel? Is that the thing that can talk. And it was a male." Boost informed Casey.

"Damn." He cursed. "I thought for sure he had her. Are you sure that he was the one that was there the other night?" Boot nodded. If there was one thing he would never forget, it was the KG's face. Stoic and heavily tattooed along with his arms and, Boost was guessing at this part, his chest. "Fine, he must have gotten rid of her. Let's not go anywhere near him again. Don't wanna get caught.

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	3. Where Are You

**Chapter three. I have up to chapter twenty four planned out. And did you know that in the game Torn is supposed to be 30? But of course he isn't in my story he's only um... oh yeah I remember twenty five. Don't forget Wednesdays! Title is Rave Music By Nightcore.**

Chapter Three: Where Are You Now

Cold. It was cold. She knew that. She knew many thing but there was even more she didn't know. Like where was he, 'Torn' as the man that had pulled and prodded at her called him, he had given her to the mean man then left last night. She was then hurt. Very hurt. The man had poker her over and over, putting liquid stuff in her. Then he did as Torn had done earlier and gotten her wet. She decided that she preferred Torn to do it and she would no longer bite him. That _is_ why she was put here, wasn't it? She had bit him so he had given her to someone else to clean. Though she didn't know why this new man was so evil. And if he is so evil why did Torn leave her here. "Torn!" She called out to him. No reply was given to her. Was she doomed to be tortured again later?

"Who is this Torn Toots?" A male Ottsel said. That was another thing she knew. She was a Muse with no name and this new man was an Ottsel. Though she didn't know how she knew that. The last thing she could remember before Torn was pain and what felt like flying in that rough dark place. "Do you have a Name?"

"Muse?" She asked more than she informed. He moved closer to his cage door and she could see him now. His dark coat of fur helped to blend into the shadows and he had on a hat. His eyes were so dark they seemed to be black.

"Ah, I see. A stray." He seemed to nod to himself. "Listen you're a Muse, not named that. How about I help you." When she didn't reply he sighed loudly and turned away from her. He was in a cage across from hers. She looked closely and saw that there was a paper with human writing on it. The odd thing was she could understand it. Muses don't normally read, she knew that too.

"Bill." She said aloud and the Ottsel turned to look at her. He seemed confused for a while before he realized that she could read. "I want Torn." She watched as his face turned from confused into sly. Backing away from the door she curled into a ball in the back corner.

"Your wish is my command Love." Bill's voice said from too close to be in his cage. Lifting her head she saw him right in front of her cage door. The _open_ cage door. "Come, we must leave before the vet returns." Without question she followed him. Only when she was out of the cage and on the windowsill did she think twice about this. What if Torn was going to come back for her. Bill must have realized her thoughts. "He's not coming back for you." She looked to Bill, await an explanation. "Look at your door. You are up for adoption, you don't have a Torn returning for you. But we can show him that you love him and find him." She nodded and followed him outside.

The outside was a whole new world to her. There were people all over the place. They were so big. Many were in large blue armor and they looked bigger than Torn. A lot of then were also smaller looking. But none of them looked like Torn. They didn't have the paint on their face like him. She couldn't see if the rest of their body was painted. And they didn't have fur like him. Their fur was all different and colorful. Torn's fur was a brownish and clumped together. Like Muse who was the strongest of a pack in the older days. Bill put a hand on her back and she looked towards him. "Where's Torn?"

"We won't find him here. Let's move to the less crowded parts and start our search there." There was something off with his logic but she just pushed it aside. She followed him like he had said to and they were indeed headed to less crowded places. And it also seemed to become much dirtier here too. She carefully stepped around a shattered bottle and realized how dark it was becoming. And how close that large wall was getting. "Hurry now. We mustn't get stuck in the dark." For a moment she hesitated. She was so close to following him.

But then she heard a voice in her head. No not a voice but a memory. A boy, no man, was talking. No he was warning her. About what? Her eyes landed on the wall and the voice became as clear as day. _'You must never go near the wall, you hear me? It's dangerous. There are a lot of bad people that hang around there and the monsters may get in. Stay away -'_ The name the man said was unclear but his warning was anything but. She turned and ran from there. The dangers were untold. She wanted Torn and she knew that this wasn't where he was. She could hear an angered growl from behind her and she sped up. Ottsels may be fast, but Muses were faster. And she was young, strong. Suddenly she also wasn't so sure about Bill.

He had seemed nice enough back at the Vets, as he called the place they had been, but now that they were out in the open... She took a turn fast. Bill sped past her but still managed to make the turn. She didn't dare look behind her and it was then that a scent caught her attention. It was Ton like. Not Torn but like him. She took the risk and ran towards it. If it wasn't him or if whoever it was didn't care she was done for.

The person came into view and she could hear Bill slowing down. Whoever this was it was a safe person, at least from Bill. The person was a male, she could smell that about him, and he had an Ottsel. She didn't trust the Ottsel but she trusted the man. She waved around his feet hoping to have him pick her up and save her. "Jak, look! A Rat. Step on it, hurry." She stopped and looked up at the blue eyed man. In an instant he was reaching down to her. She jumped into his hand and raced up his arm onto his shoulder and nuzzled his cheek. "Ew, Jak!" the Ottsel whined.

"Daxter leave it be. We'll take it to the vets after visiting Kiera."

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	4. Names

**I Like Rave and Techno. I Love you Sara Stalker XD. Also remember to Check out LoorTheDarkElf and PipTheKitten. And if wither of you two are reading this expect to be noted every few chapters. **

Chapter Four: Names

She felt safe on his shoulder so she kept showing her gratitude by rubbing against him. Until that filthy Ottsel jumped at her. Baxter, or what ever his name was, didn't look Happy with her. Jak yelled at him but he didn't listen. He again jumped at her and she jumped up, hiding in Jak's gravity defying hair. Daxter scratched Jak who hissed in pain. After that she sat up and looked around. The sights were amazing from up this high. She looked to Daxter and chittered at him. "Slow down Toots, how am I to Understand you when you go that fast." But her attention was already diverted onto something else and she was chittering on about it.

She wasn't aware of where they were headed but she did know that she was having fun being so high up. It wouldn't be long before they reached the stadium where Kiera was, though the Muse didn't know it, Torn was inside. And he wasn't pleased with what he was being told. Or rather that his ask for help was being rejected. "I told you, no." Kiera, a turquoise haired woman, growled. "This is probably just another plan Jak has set up to try and get me to like him more than a friend. And I can't believe you are willing to help him." She waved the wrench in her hand around absentmindedly.

"I'm not helping Jak with anything as stupid as that." He growled and in an instant he realized his mistake, but it wasn't soon enough. Kiera turned on him. A wrench as a weapon in her hand and him powerless. If he even laid a hand on her in self-defense Jak would tear his arms off. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant you were right. I'm not the type of person to help Jak like that. If it came to him asking me I'd sit back and watch him make a fool of himself." Kiera hesitated long enough for Torn to think that she might consider helping him search for the missing Muse.

"True but I'm going on a search for a missing animal. Besides if you thought you'd have realized that with how large Haven City is, you'd never find it on your own." She again started to wave the wrench around as she spoke. Only this time she was facing the zoomer she was supposed to be working on and not him.

"I won't be searching alone if you'd help me." He pointed out. But Kiera just shrugged him off and continued to work on the zoomer. She leaned down and bent one leg at the knee as she struggled to reach what she needed to. And Torn couldn't help but to briefly admire her ass. "I'll help to keep Jak off of you for a while." She stood right up and looked at him. She examined him for a few moments. Then she turned back to the zoomer and started to talk to herself. It sounded like she was trying to weigh the pro's and con's of actually helping. Getting Jak off of her case seemed to out weigh most of the con's. Apparently he had a talent for cock blocking. "A week." He said. And she stopped tightening a bolt to turn and look at him.

"A Week? No way. Five weeks and you've got a deal." Torn thought for a moment. And shook his head. He turned for the door. "Four weeks." She offered and Torn started to walk forwards. "Three?" She was practically begging. This time Torn stopped walking for a while and thought up of a good deal breaker.

"Two weeks and you can babysit the Muse when every you want to be with Razor." She looked at him as if he was insane. "Tell Jak you're watching my Muse and he should leave you alone for that day, though if you use it too often then he might actually catch on." She looked thoughtful. But then she shook her head.

"And I'd actually have to take care of the thing. No. Two and a half weeks. I can't go any lower than that." The Con's of this were that he'd have to possibly around the Ottsel half of that time. Daxter was a nuisance that he could live without. But the Muse. He had actually started to like the thing in the single day he had it. He was just about to agree to her terms when Daxter's annoying voice reached his ears. "Fine, two weeks and babysitting duty." He smirked. He could deal with that. And if the Muse was able to find his house Kiera could release her and the Muse could make it home.

"Tattoo Wonder, what are you doing here?" Daxter yelled loudly. But neither him nor Kiera paid any attention to him. Jak's hair was moving and chittering. "Hello Kiera baby, wanna go out sometime?" Just as Kiera was about to point out that he had Tess he continued to speak. "Me and Tess would like to double date sometime."

"Daxter give up." Torn said. He wasn't too thrilled to have the Ottsel around. But then a head popped out of Jaks hair. An orange head that had large ears with black tips . It's eyes were two colors. "Deal's off." he said and only Kiera understood what he meant. The Muse made a loud trilling sound and jumped from Jak's head and landed on the floor nearly face planting and as it tried to get a grip on the concrete floor and move forwards it slipped and slid. When she did finally reach him she quickly made short work of getting tangled in his legs, nearly knocking him over. "There you are." He said and his gruff voice didn't sound the same as a moment ago when he spoke to Daxter. It was slightly softer, but there was only so much that a voice as gravely as his could change.

The Muse was purring when he picked her up and she made sure to rub up bother arms and she moved to her back rubbing his hands. In truth she was scenting him, or marking him. It meant he was hers. He didn't care even though he knew what she was doing and put her onto his shoulder. She circled his neck several time rubbing against him before calming down a bit and settling down laying across the back of his neck. Her head rested on her front paws on his right shoulder and her back claws hung off in the front of his left shoulder and her tail flicked back and forth happinly.

"Well I never expected the Tattooed Wonder to like animals. I though his face alone would scare them off." Daxter said and The Muse cracked an eye open to look at him softly growling before rubbing her cheek to Torn's and purring again. There were several other comments made about him and his 'scarf' before Daxter brought up something relevant. "What's it's name."

"_Her_ name. She doesn't have one yet. I was just thinking of calling her Muse. Simple and to the point." Jak nodded his agreement though Daxter snorted and Kiera made a face. "Then what do you suggest?" He grumpily said. They would obviously come up with something flash or gawky.

"How about Rhoswen?" Kiera suggested. Torn made a face. If that's the best they could come up with he would still name her Muse.

"No way!" Daxter shouted. "You should call her Daxter. After the greatest worrier you know." His moved his nonexistent eyebrows. Kiera and Daxter continued to argue about names. And just when he was about to give up and tell them to shut up Jak spoke.

"How about Salek?" He suggested. Then a light pink blush crossed his cheeks when everyone looked at him. Neither of the previously arguing two could think of anything better. So Torn nodded.

He left and headed towards his home with the Muse, now unofficially named Salek. Once they made it back Torn felt exhausted but he needed to feed himself and Salek. He took her off of his shoulder and set her on the ground. He made it into the kitchen before he stumbled. Salek had decided to wave around his feet as he walked. A growl left his lips and she mewled up at him. Torn just rolled his eyes and went into his fridge. He pulled out a two pieces of fruit and set them on the table before going to grab a knife. He turned back to find Salek trying to bit into one but not managing to get a piece off. Small teeth marks were all over it. He took it and cut it up before putting back onto the table.

He was shocked by how vicious she was when eating. Her front claws dug into the fruit and tore piece after piece off. Once the entire slice was in shreds she grabbed pieces of it and shoved them into her mouth until she couldn't fit any more. "I'm never going to give you up again." She didn't even look at him as he whispered this. Torn chuckled and she sat up on her hind legs to look at him. Her cheeks were stretched out. Without thinking he tapped her nose and she went cross eyed to try and see what he did. An instant later she spat all the fruit out and sniffed it again before moving off the table to look at the fridge. Obviously fruit wasn't something she liked. He opened the door and the muse jumped in.

She sniffed from shelf to shelf until she found the lunch meat. Torn grabbed her and a pack of meat from the fridge before letting the door close. Once again he set her on the table and this time he gave her lunch meat to eat. Again she viciously attacked the food. Only this time she ate it too. After that he went into the shower and she followed him. One he was fully naked she sat n her hind legs and looked at him before looking at her self. It was almost like she thought that she had to remove her fur but didn't know how. He paid no attention to her and stepped into the shower. She, of course, followed. Torn didn't want to shower with her in there so he pushed her out only to have her re-enter.

So he stepped to the side, adjusted the shower head, and turned the water on. Salek screeched and ran from the showers. He was sure he heard something fall out in the larger room with the bunk beds. But he didn't care, he had his shower back to himself.

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	5. The Stuff She Knows

**So I have nothing of importance to say now. Like no omg! Or wtf? To put up here. And because I credited people last chapter I don't want to this chapter. Bah. Oh yeah check out my Deviantart, in case you don't know my user name is the same as on here. Check out my DA for Salek's picture and my Journal had an entry about this story. OMG! I DIDN'T P[OST THIS! Like wtf? I'm so sorry, if you actually read this then I am.**

Chapter Five: How Does Salek Know The Stuff She Does?

Torn had trouble breathing. Every time he tried to breathe in something seemed to block the air. And there was a weight on his burning face. Groggily he lifted a hand up to his face and felt. As his hand moved and felt the fluffy thing on his face it started to purr. It wiggled when he wrapped his hand around it. And when he lifted it off of his face he was staring eye to eye with Salek. She mewled happily at seeing him awake. Torn set her down on the bed and closed his eyes, trying to go back to sleep. But it seemed Salek didn't like that and she moved to his chest.

He cracked one eye to watch her. In an instant both eyes had flown open and he hissed in pain. Salek tumbled down into his lap and she twisted and turned until she was on all four paws again. Removing his hand from his chest he saw that it had little drops of blood on it and the small holes in his chest were easily seen because of the red drops flowing to the surface. Salek put her small paws on his chest and stretched up and licked his newly acquired wound in apology. When she figured she was finished she jumped off of his lap and onto the ground where she and Torn proceeded to just stair at each other. Not long after he stood up and stretched. Salek made several happy sounding sounds and started to bounce around. He watched her for a few minutes before getting out clean clothes and just as he was about to change his bell rang.

The noise startled Salek and she flew past Torn and under his bed. He ignored the muse and headed to see who it was. He opened the door and a KG was there. And in the KG's arms was a large pile of papers. "Baroness Ashlin said that if you weren't going to show up to work today to bring it to you." He handed the large and heavy pile to Torn before leaving. Torn said nothing. He just let the automatic door shut on it's own and set the pile on the desk. It was still there from the days when Jak and Daxter were fighting to help win the war. Though now it was empty, save for the pile he just put on it, and covered in dust.

With the newly acquired work Torn sat down and went to grab a paper. Though he didn't show it he was slightly shocked to see Salek sitting on the pile of papers. Salek made several sounds and he immediately guessed what she wanted. He got up and made his way to the fridge. He took out breakfast sausage and bacon. He set it on the table with a bowl of water. Looking around he saw Salek still sitting on his pile of papers. Holding up a sasuage he bit into it and held it out like he was offering it to her. Without warning Salek flew from the papers knocking the entire pile down. Torn lunged forwards trying to save the paper pile.

He of course failed but Salek on the other hand was tearing the sausage apart with vigor before jumping onto the table and doing the same to another piece of meat. Sighing heavily he worked at picking all of the papers up and putting them into a neat pile. Lifting the pile he was about to put it on the desk. Startled he nearly dropped the pile. Sitting on the desk, on a paper no less, was Salek. She had an unharmed sausage in her mouth and she was just sitting there. Torn looked at her for a moment before setting the pile back on the corner. The stray papers on the desk were then collected too except for the one she was sitting on. "Come on." He said and she turned her head to look at him. "Move it." His hand swatted at her with no intention to harm. She must have know that because she swatted right back at his hand with her claws put away as normal.

Salek liked this game. He play attacked her, with no claws that is, and she repeated. But because his claws weren't out she wouldn't put hers out either. But Torn stopped playing and tried to get her seat from under her. She was about to call out for him to stop when she remembered the food. She stood and set it on the seat and he made a sound that she didn't understand. Her eyes met his and she knew he didn't understand. With her nose she pushed the sausage to him. The seat was now covered in the food's juices. Torn grabbed the sausage and Salek smiled at him and jumped off of the desk. She made her way back into the eating place. She was thirsty after eating.

Once she finished drinking she looked up and saw Torn was there. He reached down to her and she hopped up and her claws slightly dug into his new fur. Quickly she made it to his shoulder and sat. Torn rubbed his arm's fur where she had climbed up. Looking around Salek put her front paws onto his head's fur and looked around. She liked the view from up here. "I Like up here Torn." She said and moved from his head back to his shoulder and she rubbed up against his cheek. "I like you Torn." After a few moments she stopped rubbing and jumped up onto his head.

But Torn didn't want her up there. He wasn't like the other man with the green and yellow head fur. Torn took her off of his head and put her back to his shoulder. Now had it been the other man she would have jumped back up onto his head, but this was Torn so she stayed where he put her. Though she moved to the other shoulder to look around. Torn was walking to the door, was he going to bring her back to the bad man from the other day?

No, he didn't get the box. He exited the place with her on his shoulder so this must be different. Salek moved back to his left shoulder and sat there. There were large metal buildings all around and soon the ground disappeared from under Torn and it was replaced with wood. Wood that made sounds like it was going to splinter. And under that wood was water. "I don't like it hear." Salek cried. Torn reached up and pet her head. He spoke his weird words and it sounded like he was trying to comfort her. Salek could hear what he said but it made no sense to her. Where was his purr? But she did calm down.

When he removed his hand from her head she looked around again. Torn had stopped. He was looking around for something, but what? He spotted a floating metal thing and headed towards it. She gripped his shoulder fur when he jumped up onto it. She gladly allowed Torn to mover her. She was now on the seat right in front of him. He said something then they were moving and she was flying back. She hit Torn and there, in the warm spot, she curled up and hid her head.

Every once in a while she would peak. They were going so fast. Maybe next time she would try to watch. Fist she'd have to figure out how to hold on without flying like she had this time. She was hiding her head when the stopped so when Torn started to pet her she uncurled and looked up at him as she purred. Torn put her on his shoulder once more and they headed into a familiar place. It was where she had been named.

They enter the place and she jumps down from Torn's shoulder. Her tail is between her legs, she's afraid. She doesn't know why but she is. Walking around slowly she saw a large metal box. Curious she made her way towards it, but then a scent caught her attention. Instinct took over and she went and crawled under it. Torn was calling for her now but she couldn't stop, not now. Torn was getting slightly worried when Salek didn't return. He called for her again and just as Kiera was about to say something they hear a ruckus from below her tool cabinet. Out from under it ran a Muricide. A Muricide is smaller than a rat and larger than a mouse. It's distinctive red yellow and black bands shows that it is poisenous and the rattle on the tail give off it's presence. Though these animals weren't uncommon outside of the city there shouldn't be any inside of it.

Torn took out his gun and was just about to shoot it when Salek shot out from under the same cabinet. He couldn't risk hitting her but the Muricide... Torn used his second hand to steady the gun. His single hand holding it was starting to shake. Fear, it was something he hadn't felt he and Ashlin had been together. Not since the day he proposed to her and was shot down had he felt fear this strong. And this time it was fear for the safety of a muse. His finger twitched towards the trigger but at the last second he lowered the gun.

Salek was moving faster after the Muricide. She was catching up to the creature, tor realized she was chasing it. And it was actually running from her. Only inches from it Salek jumped and she landed on the rodent. And like with her sausages she bit into it's jugular, though sausages don't have jugulars, and her front claws dug into it's furless colored arms while her back ones kicked wildly at it's stomach. "I'm going to be sick" Kiera said as they watched a foot of Salek's go into the cut up stomach and pull out organs. Torn too felt slightly nauseated at the sight of his sweet little pet mutilating the other animal. Kiera left and went for fresh air.

Torn watched in stunned silence as Salek kept kicking and pulling things from the Muricide. When Salek finished killing the other animal Torn joined Kiera. "Do you have a garbage bag?" He asked emotionless. His mind was so much further away than cleaning up the remains of a dead animal though. It was only when Kiera shoved the bag into his arms did he come back to reality. "Thanks. I'll be back sometime this afternoon to pick her up." She didn't way anything but she waited outside while he cleaned up the body and- pieces- of the Muricide. Though he left the warm and rapidly cooling liquid that had once provided life for this animal on the floor. He had nothing to clean it up with.

Neither man or woman said anything to each other as they went their separate ways. Torn only handed Salek over to Kiera and continued on his way. He didn't go right home as intended, for he had dropped Salek off at Kiera's so he could go home and finish his work without any more accidents. Now he was headed to the Bazaar district. He entered the vets office and didn't even wait to be allowed into the back, he just entered. "Galek." He called and the man's head poked out of an office.

"Oh dear." Galek said. "How did it happen? She was such a fine species too." Torn just gave him a look and handed the bag over to Galek. Together the two went into a room and Galek carefully removed the dead Muricide from the bag and set it on the table. "By Gods," He whispered then began to laugh almost hysterically. "I _knew_ she was a fine species. Such a percise attack. It had to be dead withing minutes."

"Is that normal? For her to do that. She went searching for it and then chased after it as it was fleeing."

"Of course boy." Galek said in a tone that sounded like he was chastising Torn. " Somewhere near half a century ago, before Haven city became so cut off, there had been a Muricide infestation. A man, his home and name unknown, released a few dozen muses in the city. And as the rumor went it was over night that half of the Muricides died while only one or two muses got killed. Then the next night another half and so on until there were next to no muricides left. Only muses. And even today the Muses have this instinct to find and kill them. Though it isn't that prominent in most muses because of weakened genes from being dormant so long." Galek hesitated for a while like he wanted to say something but couldn't decide if he should or not. "Well then off you go." Torn didn't move and Galek sighed heavily as he threw the dead Muricide in a garbage and carefully cleaned his table. "I was talking to this man, he seems like a good owner, and told him about how you had a muse that you wanted to get rid of-"

"No." Torn growled.

"But Torn. He offered a lot of money for her. He said-"

"I'm keeping her, end of story."

This could really help the clinic!" Galek yelled. "He said he'd pay you 200,000 and the clinic would also get 100,000. Please Torn, you didn't even want her!" Torn didn't say anything to Galek, he just kept walking. This was not up for discussion. He had made a promise to her that he intended to keep. Torn was heading home when his thoughts turned to Salek. He wondered what she might be doing.

And Salek happened to be running around the room in circles via the cluttered shelves near the top of the room. Kiera was taking a break from working on the zoomer just to watch the hyper muse go nuts. At first Salek had moved from a single spot in the middle of the floor. She had been just staring at the door for the longest amount of time before Kiera had gotten her to move. Though the muse hadn't understood her words she understood the meaning of them. Kiera must have been telling her something about Torn because she understood his name. It comforted her and then she went back to her normal self. Which happened to include finding a way up to a top shelf a good twenty feet from the ground and proceeded to run and jump from one shelf to another.

This fun didn't last long because Kiera's attention was brought to the door when a kid entered. Salek stopped jumping around and sat down. She didn't know why but she recognized him. His purple head fur wasn't that uncommon as she had seen by now and though not many large humans wore the tattered clothes he did there were smaller humans that did. His red eyes were what stood out the most on but even those weren't uncommon. And it seemed that every human had those large ears so they were normal.

This new human said something to Kiera and she didn't take it too well and started to yell. He had upset her new friend so Salek started to yell at him. He looked to her than tried to grab her but she was way too far up. When he tried to climb up Kiera pulled him down. The human male hit her on the head and she fell to the ground. Again he tried to climb and Salek stayed still. When he was within reaching distance she jumped at him and allowed her claws to dig in before jumping down to Kiera. The male climbed back down and before Salek could get away he grabbed her.

This time she attacked full force and bit his hand locking her jaws so that he could throw her off. Then she dug her front claws in and pulled while simultaniously kicking her back legs. If Torn had thought she was vicious as she ate or when she had killed the Enemy then comapared to this she was gentaly taking care of an offspring. The boy cried out and tried to shake her off but the only thing he managed to do was help her tear his hand to pieces. Blood was dripping down in non stopping rivers from his hand. Skin and flesh were being torn away with each and ever kick and pull. When she figured he'd had enough she jumped away taking with her the flesh in her mouth from his hand. She landed and dropped it onto the ground. Her defensive position was with her front paws stretched out slightly to the sides, along with her back paws. And her fur was standing on end as she growled at the boy. Then there was her tail that had the fur on it puffed out and whipped violently back and forth. The boy started to move to her right, trying to see if he could get behind her and her head whipped his way. Opening her mouth slightly she hissed in a low tone.

Neither him or her moved for what felt like hours to them both. The only sound that could be heard was her soft growling and a _drip, drip, drip,_ as the blood that soaked her coat dripped onto the ground. Then as soon as the silence started it was over. Kiera had not only came back to consciousness but also regained her motor controls and had managed to retrieve a wrench. She was speaking now and the boy held up his good hand while hid bad one stayed withing sight close to his chest. He backed up slowly. Kiera advanced a step for every two he took. Then he tripped over a can on the ground and took off running out of the place.

Kiera couldn't believe that boy, First to call her a whore and say she isn't fit to own an animal then to try and steal Salek. Not only did he knock her out after that he tried to rationalize and get her to give him Salek. Now she was just glad he was gone. Salek jumped up onto the zoomer and started to lick herself clean. Disgusting! That was blood she was licking. Hurrying up she got a bowl of clean water and tried to clean the Muse. Tried is the key word. When she finally managed to wipe Salek's face off someone entered the building.

Washcloth in one hand wrench in the other she turned to face the intruder. It was another boy. This one was much better dressed and cleaner looking. But oddly enough they both had purple hair. "What can I do for you boy?"

"Hi, my name is Ace. I'm like a really big fan of yours and I was wondering if I could get an autograph." He said. Though his eyes made the lie evident Salek's behavior change made all the more obvious. She was skittish and her fur was back to standing on end. The boy, who called himself Ace, patted his pockets down and he softly cursed. "I can't find the pen. I'm sorry." if it wasn't for how his eyes stayed trained on Salek and showed anger Kiera might have believed that he was only a boy who adored her work on the racing Zoomers.

Eager to get the boy out of her place she headed to find a pen. Salek followed then hopped up onto Kiera's shoulder. She was afraid of this boy. Not sure why but she got this feeling that he was anything but good. There were also images in her mind. Ones that held feelings. Betrayal, fear, and pain. Excruciating pain. _He was standing away from her, she was shoulder height now somehow, and she watched him as he said something. She wasn't sure what, she didn't understand and fear took over her body. He had betrayed her. Then there was red light. It moved all around like the yellow light in the sky when it rains, _lightening. How did she know that word? _It moved around the edge of the circle at her feet, _Her feet? No, she had paws. _Then the lightening hit it. The color changed and it was blue. Not far away still was the boy. Only now he looked fearful, concerned, perhaps worried. But not for her. Something happened and he was touching stuff on the machine she had no name for. The pain intensified and the now blue lightening hit her over and over. She fell to the ground and curled up. The next time she looked around everything looked different. Who was she? Then the boy grabbed her and __stuffed her in something. From there she only knew blackness and again pain. Then wet and slight __light. Torn was looking down at her. _How did she know this?

That boy that was leaving, she didn't know him. But he knew her the moment he saw her. He had to tell Boss that she was being well protected. Running as fast as his feet could take him he made it to the bosses home. "Boss!" he called out. After a moment he continued. "She's with Jak's girl. I can't get to her alone."

Inside the building a deep voice chuckled. "So she is alive still." He said and Casey cringed back. He had used Avery's nickname at Kiera's garage. "Good work." The Boss said and Casey was shocked that the Boss wasn't angry. "I'll send several boys over with you soon. Retrieve her and get rid of her. For good this time. Throw her to the Metal Heads." He chuckled again and the voice soon faded out. Casey didn't wait to see or hear anything else. He ran. As fast and as far as he could.

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	6. Dinner

**Hope you all had a nice Wednesday. Hope I did too lol. Enjoy Chapter 6 **

Chapter Six: Dinner Sucks Ass

Torn was finally finished with all of the paperwork late and once he left it back at the work building he decided to go pick up Salek. It wasn't a long walk though the night air was getting cool and it seemed to nip at his exposed ears. He wished he had a scarf but even if he had one he would only let it hang around his neck, never wrap it around like a woman would. Though even having a scarf like that would be better than the chill that bit at his neck.

Pushing his scarf dilemma to the back of his mind Torn shoved his gloved hands into his pocket, though the fingers of the gloves were cut off so that if he ever needed to use his gun again it wouldn't be any trouble. Though if he needed to use his gun he would be in trouble for he had started to no longer carry the device. Besides why in god's name would any one of any sense attack one of the Krimson Guard. Especially when said guard had been in Barron Praxis' army? They would know that because the new guards no longer tattooed themselves as heavily as the old ones were.

Again Torn shook those thoughts from his head. Perhaps later he would go to Jak's shooting range. The boy had taken over it after that fat slob Krew was killed. And because he and Torn were on friendly terms Torn was allowed to use it anytime for free. So he might go and use it after picking up Salek. Torn didn't stop walking as a the woman from the Veterinary clinic called to him and tried to wave him over. Torn just pretended no to notice her and kept going on his way. For a moment he was afraid that the woman, who's name he currently couldn't remember, would run after him and try to catch him.

But she didn't and Torn kept walking. When he finally reached Kiera's place he saw her sitting on a tool cabinet watching as Razor cleaned up the dried blood. Though Torn could have sworn the the blood had been else where before. Salek could have found another and killed it. Though there seemed to be no remains anywhere. Yet Razor was here. Kiera might not be too keen on cleaning up the remains but Razor wouldn't even bat an eye. Before Torn could over analyze the situation any more Salek attacked in her own way of showing love.

The muse shrieked from some where behind him. Then he felt the impact of something hitting him. Next thing her knew the muse had climbed up the back of his shirt and started to rub up against him viciously before moving to the other shoulder and doing the same. Once she finished that she went from shoulder to shoulder before jumping onto his head. Then she jumped to the floor and weaved through his feet.

Kiera burst out laughing. Razor chuckled at this little show and Torn made a face at the two. Quickly he stopped Salek from embarrassing him any more by picking her up. "I;m going to go to the Naught Ottsel, it's on me if you want to come." He offered. Kiera seemed to think about it while Razor raised and eyebrow. "I owe you for watching Salek today."

"Oh," Kiera said as if she had just remembered something. "Speaking of which," But Torn cut her off.

"No. I do owe you. So are you up for dinner?" Kiera's face fell and Torn thought that something happened. Then he realized why she could actually be saddened. "Or if you'd rather I'll make sure Jak stays away tonight." Kira gave him a half hearted smile and nodded. Torn didn't seem to actually notice that it wasn't a real one so he took Salek with him and left.

"Now why didn't you tell him 'bout that boy?" Razor asked. He was honestly curious as to why Kira hadn't said a thing to Torn. Not even a minute ago had she been ranting about how Torn needed to know about this.

"Well I didn't want to ruin Torn's mood. He hasn't seemed himself until recently and now this would just go and ruin it. Besides, with the damage to that boys hand I don't think he'll come back anytime soon."

Salek on the other hand had no problem telling Torn everything. Though he didn't understand a thing she was telling him. All Torn knew was that Salek was jumping around his shoulders and chittering excitedly. After a while Salek stopped and just sat on his shoulders, almost like that scarf he had been wishing for before. And now he didn't feel like such a fool. If he had gotten a scarf he was sure that Daxter wouldn't leave him alone, but with it being Salek not only did she radiate warmth that a scarf couldn't but Daxter couldn't say shit.

It was a win win. Torn got the warmth he had so wished for because of this bitter chill, and Salek got her seat and she could snuggle up to Torn. And Torn didn't mind because he didn't look like a wimp. SO when he entered The Naughty Ottsel he wasn't dreading seeing Daxter like normal. Besides Dexter had Tess to keep him in line here. Tess was- is- Daxter 'mate'. And not only that but Torn guessed that she may be pregnant.

Torn took his seat and Daxter used his zip line to get over to him. "Hey there Torn buddy, you know there is no rats allowed." Daxter glued his eyes to Salek when he said this.

"Well then Daxter, should I bring Tess over here?" Torn rebutted. Daxter visibly swallowed. Turning towards Tess Torn opened his mouth to call her over.

"Alright, allright." Daxter said as he waved his arms around making sure Torn didn't try to call for Tess again. "You and the rat can stay. Just don't call Tess over. She's been hounding me about everything recently." Daxter then went back to his normal spot of staying around Tess.

Not long after a boy came over to take their order. Daxter had to hire a few people recently because of Tess' mood change. Torn looked this boy over a moment. He had long red hair and deep green eyes that were outlined heavily in coal, the stuff most girls use around their eyes. The boy's voice was sort of deep. And when he asked what Torn wanted Torn ordered his normal Yak burger and fries. While he waited for his order to come out Torn looked at the Muse that now sat on the table and he pet her.

Salek kept purring as he ran his hand down her soft fur. It comforted him in a way. He was thinking about how he would have liked to feel this comfort from Ashelin when they had been together when his plate of food was set down in front of him. He thanked the boy before taking a bite of his burger. Then he took a fry in one hand and dunked it in a sauce and held it out to Salek. She sat up on her hind legs and grabbed it from him. She sniffed it and wrinkled her nose before holding it out to him.

Torn took the frie and tossed it into his mouth before grabbing another and, without dunking it, handed it to her. This time after she sniffed it she licked it. Her tongue was a dark magenta. After she was satisfied about how it tasted she ate it. Normal like this time. Holding it in two little paws she bit it, chewed it, swallowed, then repeated. Torn was quite surprised at how she ate it. With all of her meats she tore it to bits, even with the apple. But he ignored it and ate his burger while handing Salek a new fry every now and then. After he finished his burger and Salek was halfway through the plate of fries, with him taking one and dunking it for himself, a woman came over and sat down.

It was Page from the clinic. "Hi Torn." She took a few strands of light red hair and twirled them around her finger. Torn knew her hair was dyed that way. "What are you doing?" He didn't answer her but took a fry and handed it to Salek. "So you wanna come back to my place?" Torn looked horrified. "I mean we could do anything that you want."

"What the hell do you take me for? A whore?" He growled and slammed his hand on the table. Salek mewed trying to get his attention for another fry. She quite liked them without that weird smelling stuff. "I don't know you how the hell could you expect someone to- to-" He cut off without finishing his sentence.

Trying to be seductive she looked up at him from under her eyelashes and gave a slight smirk. "You could know me. Every little bit of me." Torn's hand clenched and scratched the table. Salek made a sad sounding noise. But neither of the tables occupants noticed. Actually Page noticed her. "We could leave your pet at my sister's house." Then page reached out and grabbed Salek.

That did not sit well with the Muse. She screeched loudly and then bit into Pages hand hard enough to draw blood. Page screamed and dropped Salek. Salek, having forgotten all about the fries by now, runs to Torn and up his shoulder. She is squeaking at the girl that had just grabbed her. Torn stand up and drops money onto the table. He left with Salek without another word to Page.

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End file.
